Napalm & Silly Putty
by George Carlin

List Price: $13.95
Our Price: $1.44
You Save: $12.51 (90%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of Napalm & Silly Putty

Book Review: Watch Carlin Perform Rather Than Read This Book
Summary: 2 Stars

Mr. Carlin's humor just doesn't work on the page very often here. The jokes that worked for me would fill about a page and a half. His self-assessment is that this book is "essentially drivel." He missed mentioning that it is also sophomoric, vulgar, and anti-religious. His best work is in an occasional clean one-liner of broad appeal.

"By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth." That's the major theme of the book. He is effective in making fun of technical terms in preset speeches for airlines. He would like his nonstop flights to have a stop at the end. He doesn't feel encouraged to go on final approach in order to be headed towards a terminal. He would like to board rather than go through an endless boarding process that begins with preboarding.

The jacket copy though and the reviews capture over 60 percent of the good one-liners in the book. There just isn't enough good material to sustain a whole book.

If you are offended by lots of four letter words that begin with f, c, and s, you will be uncomfortable with this book. These words are put in frequently to lift weak material. In particular, he seems fond of using these words to refer to religious figures.

If you would like to have a few good laughs, catch one of his HBO specials instead where his performance can help make up for the lack of wit in the material. I suspect that you will enjoy that humor more if you have a few alcoholic beverages first to slow down your brain.

If you do decide to read the book, the best sections were on cars and driving, airline announcements, and that a cat is not a dog.

After you have read this book (if you persist in reading it), think about how the material could have been rewritten to be funnier. I am sure you can improve on it.

Have a good laugh . . . at the aburdity of pretense around you!

Entertainment Books